Brake shoe spreading hand tool

ABSTRACT

The specification discloses a novel hand tool which can be grasped and caused to engage the movable ends of a pair of brakeshoe portions of a motor vehicle brake assembly (usually when already removed therefrom, although not necessarily so limited) and can then be operated so as to spread apart said brakeshoe end portions for the purpose of facilitating the assembly and remounting thereof with respect to a motor vehicle brake assembly and the assembling and remounting with respect thereto of a conventional brakeshoe adjusting assembly (or for use in facilitating the reverse operation, although such is not the primary purpose of the tool). The tool, in one preferred form, is also provided with locking means for holding it in operated form with the brakeshoe portions held in spread-apart relationship for as long as is needed to facilitate the assembly and remounting operation (or disassembling and removing operation) referred to above.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Samuel G. Mata 519 Neptune, 02, Wilmington, Calif. 90744 [21] Appl. No. 720,185 [22] Filed Apr. 10, 1968 [45] Patented Sept. 7, 1971 [54] BRAKE SHOE SPREADING HAND TOOL 4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 29/227, 29/268 [51] Int. Cl B23p 19/04 [50] Field of Search 29/221,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,523,010 1/1925 Burkel 29/221 1,608,883 11/1926 Justus 29/221 1,681,662 8/1928 Douglass 81/5.l X 2,439,785 4/1948 Feitl 29/229 2,483,380 9/1949 Duffy 29/229 Primary Examiner-Robert C. Riordon Assistant ExaminerJ. C. Peters Alt0rneyBoniard I. Brown ABSTRACT: The specification discloses a novel hand tool which can be grasped and caused to engage the movable ends of a pair of brakeshoe portions of a motor vehicle brake assembly (usually when already removed therefrom, although not necessarily so limited) and can then be operated so as to spread apart said brakeshoe end portions for the purpose of facilitating the assembly and remounting thereof with respect to a motor vehicle brake assembly and the assembling and remounting with respect thereto of a conventional brakeshoe adjusting assembly (or for use in facilitating the reverse operation, although such is not the primary purpose of the tool). The tool, in one preferred form, is also provided with locking means for holding it in operated form with the brakeshoe portions held in spread-apart relationship for as long as is needed to facilitate the assembly and remounting operation (or disassembling and removing operation) referred to above.

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SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. SAMUEL 6. MATA PATENTEDSEP 1am 3,602,973 SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR. SAMUEL. 6. MATA BRAKE SHOE SPREADING HAND TOOL Generally speaking, the present invention comprises a brakeshoe spreading hand tool which is intended primarily for brakeshoe mounting purposes, although it may be employed for brakeshoe dismounting purposes also. In this connection it should be noted that a conventional motor vehicle brake assembly normally includes a pair of brakeshoe portions pivotally connected at similar ends and having a pair of relatively movable brakeshoe ends mounting a brakeshoe adjusting assembly which is intended to be adjusted in order to provide the proper relative positioning of the brakeshoe portions, and brake linings carried thereby, with respect to a corresponding outer enclosing brake drum carried by a motor vehicle wheel. When various types of work, such as relining the brakeshoe portions or the like is to be performed, it is usually necessary to remove the outer brake drum and to then remove from the complete motor vehicle brake assembly the brakeshoe portions and the brakeshoe adjusting assembly and, upon completion of the brake relining operation or other type of repair, it is then necessary to again remount and reassemble the brakeshoe portions and the brakeshoe adjusting assembly as parts of the complete motor vehicle brake assembly, followed by the replacing of the brake drum and wheel and the fastening of same in such a replaced position.

In practice, it has been found that there is something of a problem involved in remounting the brakeshoe portions and the brakeshoe adjusting assembly, as referred to above, because it is necessary that the brakeshoe portions be relatively spread apart and held in such spread-apart position during the remounting and reassembling operation until the brakeshoe adjusting assembly has been again remounted with respect to the otherwise free ends of the brakeshoe portions, and this is precisely the function of the novel brakeshoe spreading hand tool of the present invention, which comprises spreader means, including two movably opposed brakeshoe engaging jaws, and mounting means movably mounting said jaws for movement between an initial, minimum, laterally spaced jaw inserting and jaw engaging position (for engaging the ends of a pair of brakeshoe portions) and a final spreadapart assembly position, such as to facilitate the remounting and reassembling of said brakeshoe portions and the mounting of a conventional brakeshoe adjusting assembly means with respect thereto. as referred to above. The mounting means. is disclosed as being provided with controllably manually operable actuating means for causing the brakeshoe spreading operation just referred to and, in one preferred form of the invention, is disclosed as being provided with controllably releasable and disengageable locking means for locking the tool and the free ends of the brakeshoe portions engaged thereby in a desired spread-apart, final assembly position until the reassembling and remounting operation is completed, at which time the locking means is effectively unlocked and the entire tool is removed.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel brakeshoe spreading hand tool intended for spreading apart and holding for as long as is necessary., the free ends. of a pair of brakeshoes for facilitating mounting and/or dismounting operations thereof with respect to a complete motor vehicle brake assembly and to do so in a very simple and easy-to-operate manner and in a manner which maintains positive engagement with the brakeshoe portions and which also will hold them inv spread-apart relationship for as longas required throughthe use of a novel locking means capable of being very simply unlocked when the brakeshoe portions are to be released.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a brakeshoe spreading hand tool having any or all of the advantages referred to herein and including any'or all of the featuresreferred to herein, generically and/or specifically, and.

individually or in combination, and which is of extremely simple, inexpensive, small, portable construction suitable for mass manufacture of stamped metal in its most inexpensive form, although it may be formed by other manufacturing processes and of various different types of material, and requiring a relative minimum of tooling and therefore of capital costs and adapted for production at an extremely low cost per unit such as to facilitate large-scale and widespread manufacture, sale, and use of the hand tool for the purposes outlined herein or for any other substantially equivalent purposes where a spreading-apart operation is to be performed and, in such cases, the tool may be subject to suitable modification to adapt it for various different alternate types of spreading apart operations, and such modifications within the scope of the broad teachings of the present invention are intended to be included and comprehended herein.

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description which follows hereinafter (which is to be considered as exemplary of, but not specifically limiting, the present invention), and said objects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study of the detailed description which follows hereinafter, and all such implicit objects are intended to be included and comprehended herein as fully as if particularly defined and pointed out herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates the present brakeshoe spreading tool in spreading position between a pair of brakeshoes;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 1 also showing the tool in brakeshoe spreading configuration;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail of the wheel brake assembly in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 44 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the tool;

FIG. 7 is a further enlarged fragmentary detail of the tool structure shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary detail of a modified brakeshoe spreading tool according to the invention; and

FIG. is a fragmentary detail of a further modified tool.

Generally speaking, the brakeshoe spreading hand tool of the present invention may be said to comprise spreader means, one form of which is generally designated by the reference numeral 20 in the exemplary first form of the invention, having a pair of movably opposed brakeshoe engaging jaws, such as indicated at 22 in an exemplary first form of the invention, which are normally initially positioned in a predetermined minimum laterally spaced relationship of an extent such as to be suitable for direct insertion between and subsequent engagement with relatively movable brakeshoe portions, such as are indicated generally at 24 in the exemplary first form of the invention.

Such engagement of the jaws 22 with such brakeshoe portions 24 is usually effected when the brakeshoe portions 24 have been disassembled and dismounted from a complete motor vehicle brake assembly, such as is generally designated by the reference numeral 26 in FIG. 3, for any of various purposes such as for lining the brakes, etc., and after completion of which the removed brakeshoe portions 24 are to be reassembled and remounted relative to the complete motor vehicle brake assembly 26 just referred to so as to comprise an operative assembled part thereof.

The above-mentioned reassembling operation normally also involves the positioning of a brakeshoe adjusting assembly, such as is generally designated by the reference numeral 28, between the free movable ends 30 of the brakeshoe portions 24 into a final, fully assembled relationship such as is best shown in FIG. 3. This is usually made necessary because the brakeshoe adjusting assembly 28 is intended to function as a controllably length-adjustable extender for adjusting the relative spacing and relative locations of the brakeshoe'ends 30, and when the brakeshoe portions 24 are removed from the complete motor vehicle brake assembly 26 of FIG; 3 for the purpose of mounting new brake linings thereon or for any other purposes, normally the brakeshoe adjusting assembly 28 is removed from its conventional mounted position. This allows the conventional brakeshoe spring 32 to move the brakeshoe ends 30 closer together than would be the case when fully mounted as a part of the complete motor vehicle brake assembly 26 in the manner best shown in FIG. 3 and, thus, after brake linings have been mounted on the brakeshoe portions 24 or after any other operation has been performed and the brakeshoe portions 24 and the brakeshoe adjusting assembly 28 are adapted to be remounted as a part of the complete motor vehicle brake assembly 26, it will be found that this is normally difficult to do because of the biased conditions of the brakeshoe ends 30 and, furthermore, because of the fact that some type of tool is needed to hold the brakeshoe ends 30 in the properly spread-apart final assembly position until the reassembling and remounting thereof and the reassembling and remounting of the conventional brakeshoe adjusting assembly 28 are completed so that said elements will comprise the properly related parts of the complete motor vehicle brake assembly 26 in the manner best shown in FIG. 3.

The brakeshoe spreading hand tool, in addition to the above-mentioned spreader means 20 and jaws 22, also includes mounting means, such as is generally designated by the reference numeral 34, movably mounting the spreader means 20 for movement between a predetermined minimum laterally spaced relationship such as is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1, and which may be said to comprise a jaw inserting and jaw engaging position, and a final spread-apart assembly position such as is shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6.

Said mounting means 34 is provided with controllably manually operable actuating means, such as is generally indicated by the reference numeral 36 in the first form of the invention, which is adapted for use in actuating the mounting means 34 and the jaws 22 of the spreader means 20 carried thereby between said initial jaw inserting and jaw engaging position, such as is shown fragmentarily in phantom lines in FIG. I, and said final spread-apart assembly position such as is shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6.

In the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated, the mounting means 34 generically referred to above comprises a first mounting member 38 carrying a first one of said jaws 22 and a second mounting member 38 carrying a second one of said jaws 22, with said first and second mounting members 38 being provided with intermediate pivotal connection means, such as is indicated generally at 40, at an intermediate location spaced rearwardly from said first and second jaws 22 and having corresponding rear actuating extensions 42 extending rearwardly beyond said intermediate pivotal connection means and. effectively comprising the previously mentioned actuating means generally designated by the reference numeral 36.

The arrangement of the exemplary first form of the invention just described above is such that the rearwardly projecting actuating extensions 42 may be manually grasped and may be effectively opened or closed for correspondingly moving the first and second jaws 22 between the previously mentioned initial jaw inserting and jaw engaging position, such as shown fragmentarily in phantom lines in FIG. 1, and the previously mentioned final spread-apart assembly position, such as is shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6.

In the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated, the manual movement of the actuating extensions 42 referred to in the preceding paragraph normally comprises forcible manual closing movement of said actuating extensions 42 toward each other, and consequent opening movement of said jaws 22 against the biasing action of the actuating means spring-biasing means 44, while the opposite type of manually controlled movement, comprising opening movement of said actuating extensions 42, is manually controlled but is primarily effected by the force exerted by the spring-biasing means 44 which, of course, causes a closing movement of he jaws 22 toward the previously mentioned initial jaw inserting and jaw engaging position such as is shown fragmentarily in phantom lines in FIG. 1. However, this arrangement is subject to modification within the broad scope of the present invention.

In the exemplary first form of the invention, the previously generically referred to mounting means 34 and the previously generically referred to actuating means 36 effectively comprise two substantially oppositely outwardly effectively concavely shaped and oppositely inwardly effectively convexly shaped members 46, each having an inwardly directed, effective apex portion 48 pivotally connected to the other apex portion 48 by efiective pivot pin means 50 in a manner such that the two apex portions 48 pivotally connect one of said mounting members 38 and its rearward actuating extension 42, positioned on one side of the pivot pin 50, to the other mounting member 38 and its rearward actuating extension 42, positioned on the other side of the pivot pin means 50. This arrangement comprises what might be termed a reversed type of plierlike, controllably openable and closable structure ar ranged so that forcible inward movement of the rear actuating extensions 42 will cause forcible spreading-apart movement of the mounting members 38 and the jaws 22 carried thereby. This occurs against the action of the spring-biasing means 44 which normally biases the actuating extensions 42 apart and therefore normally biases the mounting members 38 and the jaws 22 toward each other and the predetermined minimum, laterally spaced, initial jaw inserting and jaw engaging position previously referred to and shown fragmentarily in phantom lines in FIG. 1.

The exemplary first form of the invention illustrated also includes controllably releasable and disengageable locking means, such as is generally designated at 52, which is effectively cooperable with respect to the mounting means 34 and the actuating means 36 for effectively locking the jaws 22 of the spreader means 20 in the previously mentioned final spread-apart assembly position, such as is shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6 (or some other selected spread-apart position) until manual releasing and disengagement thereof.

In the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated, the controllably releasable and disengageable locking means 52 comprises a coupling member 54 carried by one portion of the movable actuating means 36 (actually, in the exemplary first form illustrated, carried by a first one of the rear actuating extensions 42 of said actuating means 36) and extending toward a second, relatively movable portion of said actuating means 36 (in the exemplary first form illustrated, comprising the other rear actuating extension 42 thereof) and provided with a toothed ratchet portion 56 which is adapted to be received by a receiver portion 58 of the second-mentioned portion of the actuating means 36 (in the exemplary first form illustrated, comprising the other rearwardly directed actuating extension 42) which also carries a locking pawl, indicated generally at 60, in avposition cooperable for locking engagement with the toothed ratchet portion 56 in a relatively adjusted position thereof. This is most clearly shown in FIG. 6 where such a relatively adjusted position of the movable parts of the apparatus is illustrated, and it should be clearly noted that the particular relatively adjusted position shown in FIG. 6 comprises one particular final, fully spread-apart position, but it should be understood that various different degrees of separation of the jaws 22 may be desirable under various conditions of operation, and certainly this might be so when using the tool to spread apart the free ends 30 of brakeshoe portions 24 of different sizes, styles, or makes of complete motor vehicle brake assemblies 26 and or brakeshoe portions 24. Indeed, the teeth 62 of the toothed ratchet portion 56 may be made of any desired size such as to provide for desired incremental jumps in the spacing between the jaws 22 so as to provide for any desired degree of spreading apart of brakeshoe ends 30.

In the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated, the locking pawl 60 is positionally adjustably mounted in a manner such as to permit it to be manually moved out of locking engagement with respect to the toothed ratchet portion 56 for releasing same when desired. This may be accomplished by the provision of a biasing spring means 64 positioned so as to normally bias the locking pawl 60 toward the teeth 62 of the toothed ratchet portion 56 which, it will be noted, are all similarly inclined so as to effectively comprise a one-way movement allowing structure of a type permitting relative movement of the toothed ratchet portion 56 relative to the locking pawl 60 in an actuating means closing direction and in a jaw opening direction but adapted to prevent reverse or opening movement of the actuating means 36 and consequent closing movement of the jaws 22 of the spreader means until manual relative disengagement of the ratchet portion 56 and the locking pawl 60 is effected, which in the exemplary first form of the invention is effected by placing ones finger or thumb on the pawl operating tab 66 of the locking pawl 60 and moving it against the pawl biasing spring 64 and out of engagement with the teeth 62 of the ratchet portion 56 which will, of course, allow the previously mentioned actuating means biasing spring 44 to move the two rearward extensions 42 of the actuating means 36 outwardly away from each other in a manner which moves the jaws 22 toward each other and toward the previously mentioned initial jaw inserting and jaw engaging position, such as is shown fragmentarily in phantom lines in FIG. 1.

It should be noted that, in the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated, each of the jaws 22 is shown as being provided with a transversely extended forward engagement end 68 which is slotted as indicated at 70 and thus may be said to comprise a transversely extended, forwardly open, slotted engagement end, indicated generally at 72, each of which is additionally adapted to receive and engage therein a corresponding different one of the two movably opposed ends 30 of the two corresponding brakeshoe portions 24 in a nonslipping manner, which is the primary purpose of providing the slots 70 and also of providing the transversely extended portions 68, which thus give a greater area of engagement with the brakeshoe ends 30 so as to positively maintain a firm engagement therewith during a brakeshoe spreading-apart operation as described hereinbefore.

FIG. 8 fragmentarily illustrates a slight modification of the controllably releasable and disengageable locking means, indicated generally at 52 in the first form of the invention, and because FIG. 8 does illustrate a modification, said modified locking means is indicated by the reference numeral 52a in FIG. 8. Indeed, all parts of the FIG. 8 modification of the invention structurally or functionally similar to those of the earlier described first form of the invention are designated by similar reference numerals, followed by the letter a, however.

In the FIG. 8 modification, the controllably releasable and disengageable locking means, indicated generally at 52a, has the transversely directed coupling member 54a movably mounted as indicated at 74, so that the toothed ratchet portion 560 can be forcibly moved away from the locking pawl 60a by merely placing ones finger or thumb on the ratchet disengaging tab 76 and applying sufficient force to move it against the baising action of the ratchet biasing spring means 78 which normally biases the toothed ratchet portion 56a toward the locking pawl 60a and into locked relationship with respect thereto. In other words, in the FIG. 8 modification of the invention, the ratchet unlocking operation is accomplished by moving the ratchet portion 541: away from its normal engaged relationship with respect to the locking pawl 60a rather than performing the unlocking operation in the manner of the first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 which was accomplished by moving the locking pawl 60 away from its normal engaged position with respect to the toothed ratchet portion 56. Otherwise, this modification of the invention is structurally and functionally substantially the same as the first form of the invention, and no further detailed description thereof is thought necessary.

FIG. 9 illustrates fragmentarily a further modification of the controllably releasable and disengageable locking means indicated at 52 in the first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, but designated by the reference numeral 52b in the FIG. 9 modification of the invention, and all parts shown in the FIG. 9 modification of the invention which are substantially or functionally similar to those of the first form of the invention are indicated by similar reference numerals, followed by the letter 17, however.

In the FIG. 9 modification of the invention, the major change from the first form of the invention is the fact that the controllably releasable and disengageable locking means 52b effectively comprises hook and eye means taking the form of hook means carried by one of the rearwardly projecting actuating extensions 42b and an engaging eye means 82 carried by the other one of said rearwardly projecting actuating extensions 42b in opposition to the hook means 80 and in a manner such that both said hook means 80 and said eye means 82 are inwardly positioned in a manner facing each other so as to be ideally arranged for temporary locking engagement with each other when said two actuating extensions 42b are forcibly manually squeezed toward each other and into a position corresponding to the previously mentioned final spread-apart assembly position of the forwardly located jaws of the spreader means, such as is shown fragmentarily in solid in FIG. 6 illustrating the first form of the invention, but equally applicable with respect to this modified form of the invention.

It should be noted that the relative positions of the hook means 80 and the engaging eye means 82 can be positionally reversed and that their exemplary forms may be modified substantially within the broad scope of the teachings of the present invention to comprise virtually any structures which are functionally equivalent and capable of hookingly engaging the other cooperating means of the complete so-called hook and eye means. In other words, two hooks may be employed rather than one hook and one eye, and a great many other changes in the physical configuration of the structures shown in certain specific exemplary but nonlimiting forms at 80 and 82 may be made within the broad scope of the present invention and such are intended to be included and comprehended herein.

It should be noted that, in certain forms of the invention, the actuating means biasing spring means may be modified or eliminated entirely. Also, it should be noted that the structure of the controllably releasable and disengageable locking means may be modified substantially within the broad scope of the teachings of the present invention with respect thereto, and this is also true with respect to various other individual elements of the complete inventive combination disclosed in certain specific exemplary forms herein.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A plier-type brakeshoe spreading hand tool comprising:

a pair of levers having brakeshoe engaging jaws at one end and handgrip portions at the other end;

pivot means joining said levers between their ends, whereby closing movement of said grip portions toward one another separate said jaws and opening movement of said grip portions away from one another closes said jaws;

a coupling member extending between said grip portions;

means joining one end of said coupling member to one grip portion;

a coil spring surrounding said coupling member and seating at its ends at said grip portion for urging said grip portions apart and thereby urging said jaws toward one another, and

coacting releasable means on said coupling member and the other grip portion for releasably locking said grip portions against separation.

2. A tool according to claim 1 wherein:

said coacting means comprise ratchet means including ratchet teeth along one longitudinal edge of said coupling member, a ratchet pawl mounted on said other grip portion for movement into and from ratcheting engagement with said ratchet teeth, a spring for urging said pawl into engagement with said ratchet teeth, and means on said pawl for retracting said pawl from engagement with said ratchet teeth by finger action to release said grip portions 7 for separation by said coil spring.

3. A tool according to claim 1 wherein said coacting means comprise ratchet means including ratchet teeth along one longitudinal edge of said coupling member, a ratchet pawl fixed to said other grip portion, said coupling member being laterally movable toward said pawl to engage said ratchet teeth with said pawl and away from said pawl to disengage said 

1. A plier-type brakeshoe spreading hand tool comprising: a pair of levers having brakeshoe engaging jaws at one end and handgrip portions at the other end; pivot means joining said levers between their ends, whereby closing movement of said grip portions toward one another separate said jaws and opening movement of said grip portions away from one another closes said jaws; a coupling member extending between said grip portions; means joining one end of said coupling member to one grip portion; a coil spring surrounding said coupling member and seating at its ends at said grip portion for urging said grip portions apart and thereby urging said jaws toward one another, and coacting releasable means on said coupling member and the other grip portion for releasably locking said grip portions against separation.
 2. A tool according to claim 1 wherein: said coacting means comprise ratchet means including ratchet teeth along one longitudinal edge of said coupling member, a ratchet pawl mounted on said other grip portion for movement into and from ratcheting engagement with said ratchet teeth, a spring for urging said pawl into engagement with said ratchet teeth, and means on said pawl for retracting said pawl from engagement with said ratchet teeth by finger action to release said grip portions for separation by said coil spring.
 3. A tool according to claim 1 wherein said coacting means comprise ratchet means including ratchet teeth along one longitudinal edge of said coupling member, a ratchet pawl fixed to said other grip portion, said coupling member being laterally movable toward said pawl to engage said ratchet teeth with said pawl and away from said pawl to disengage said teeth from said pawl, a spring for urging said coupling member toward said pawl, and means on said coupling member for retracting the latter away from said pawl by finger action to release said grip portions for separation by said coil spring.
 4. A tool according to claim 1 wherein said levers are generally flat in planes normal to the axis of said pivot and having right angle tip portions providing said jaws, and the outer faces of said tip portions are slotted normal to said planEs to receive brakeshoe ends. 